Good Bye David.

In 1956 I started senior school, and became a founder member at Arundel, which was a very prestigious private school on the outskirts of Salisbury. During the first year, I became friendly with a girl in my class who also rode; her father, who was a judge, helped enormously with the pony club as well. Although the whole family eventually moved to the UK while my friend was in her late teens, we are still very good friends to this day.   As far as I can remember, the school consisted of only 60 girls in the first year it opened. Most of us were in the first two senior forms (I and II), but a  6th form girl  was head girl. We all started out in one room in one of the boarding houses, as the classrooms were not quite finished, but a week or so later, we made our way to our new classrooms and school work began in earnest. The sports fields and swimming pool were very soon all finished and sport became a very important component of the school curriculum. I was a member of the netball and swimming teams, but I hated hockey and I was absolutely useless at tennis!

 Some of the girls from the first day at school. I am 5th from the right, kneeling in the front row.

I have recently discovered that two of the girls that started out with me there are now living in France!  One lives here permanently and the other splits her time between the UK and France.  We all met up earlier this year and had a great reunion.

A staff photo soon after the school opened.  Many I remember well; some because I really liked them, but a couple because I could not stand them!!

My pony Dusky’s first show was at Gatooma in July 1957 and he surprised us all by winning his very first jumping event; he had four second places and one third in the gymkhana events. I was so proud of him and his training had obviously paid off!  Gatooma was in an area called the "midlands" of Rhodesia and a large horse show was held there, alongside the annual agricultural show. During the year, there were always a couple of horse shows there, combined with  race meetings which ran over a whole weekend. A team of Lewisham Riding School riders always used to go down and we stayed on the farm owned by the local butcher. I remember he had a couple of semi-tame zebra there which we tried unsuccessfully to ride on one occasion!  Sadly I do not seem to have photos of of this escapade!

Dusky and me in 1957 at Lewisham Riding School on Parents Day.  I remember at the time being told this was a good photo, as I was already looking ahead to the next fence off to the right!  Dusky can be seen growing out his mane here; this had been clipped off when we bought him. The practice of clipping resulted from there being so many ticks  around farmsteads; also polo players  preferred not to have mane in the way while they were playing!

In August 1957, Mary Adams took a team of horses and riders down to the Rand Show in Johannesburg. Dusky was not up to this standard yet, so he stayed at home, while I took Judy the piebald as my mount. The show was fairly successful with our riding school members getting a number of places, but no wins. It was a major experience for all of us, as the competition was of a very high standard.

 Rosemary, Clive, myself on Judy and Ray on Santa Fe.  Ray was tragically killed by a truck on the road, while out taking a ride at his mother's riding school some years later.

On the way north back home, we all drove  through the Kruger National Park, so we had a holiday as well. On my return, I had the worst possible news waiting for me. While I was away, Mum had in fact phoned Mary Adams with  some terrible news, but it was decided that nothing would be gained from upsetting me  and the news could wait for my return. David had been killed in a car accident on 29 August and he had already been buried by the time I got back to Salisbury. I was devastated by this and I still feel as if part of my own life has been taken away from me. He had so much still to give, and we had so many happy years removed from our futures. I can only think how terrible it must have been for my parents, especially Mum, to have lost a son when he was only 21.

David 1953

David 1956 in his prized MG during his army call up period.

A smiling David during his army call up period.

R.I.P

My Life Before Charente to be continued :-) 

 

The section of my life story during our overland trip is published on Kindle if you should be interested:-

 

See

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-GREAT-1953-TREK-ebook/dp/B008KK0KHU/ref=pd_ys_iyr1

Life in the early 50's

While we had been setting up our new home, I had started riding lessons at Lewisham Riding School, with the owner Mary Adams.   I used to go twice a week after school, and by the end of my first year, I had started jumping lessons and had competed in the local gymkhana which Lewisham used to hold.  First there was Punch the piebald, who I started riding at gymkhanas, and I steadily progressed to Judy the skewbald who also was an excellent show jumper. 

My very first rosette on Punch.

Mary Adams had two sons who had a pair of stunning dun ponies, called Santa Fe and Santa Maria, both of which were rarely ridden by anyone other than the boys. I have never forgotten the day when I was allowed to ride Santa Fe, when his owner was away for a short time; I really though that I had made it!

Riding Shamrock in a musical ride. There used to be 16 horses and riders in all. 

In 1954, Dad started working as a mechanic for Chris Annesley, who was one of the local racing car drivers.  Our weekends were suddenly very full with either horses or cars!  I tried to go to as many horse events as possible, but a number of weekends were taken up by car practice and Mum and I went along as `support’ team.  In 1954 we took our very first trip to South Africa to go to Kyalami race track near Johannesburg, where Chris was racing.  We were away for several days (it was a long drive - 800 miles or so each way) and as Peter Pan was showing at the local "drive-in" cinema, which everyone knew I would enjoy, we all had our first experience of  sitting in our car to watch a film. This was of course an American concept adopted in Southern Africa, where space - at the time-  was freely available! The car was parked on a ramp next to a speaker post.  The speaker was removed from the post and hooked on to the car window and, hey presto, it was like being in the local cinema, but much comfier. Unfortunately due to the advent of TV, the cinemas lost their huge following and eventually most, if not all of the drive-in cinemas, closed down in both South Africa and Rhodesia.

Car racing in the 50's!!  Note the start/finish banner at the back; the pits would have been in the centre, where you can see the people; no barriers! A little different from motor racing nowadays.

Me trying my luck at Umtali!!

In June 1955, we went to a motor race meeting at Umtali in Rhodesia, a town quite close to the Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique) border.  It was planned that after the meeting, the four of us would take a holiday and travel across the border and spend a week in the Gorongoza game reserve.  At the time we owned a Morris Minor Traveller (the one with the wood frame at the back), which was ideal for a holiday because of the extra space in the back.  The day after our arrival in Gorongoza, I came out in spots and Mum was duly informed by a woman there, “my dear, she has measles, you will have to take her home and keep her in the dark, so she does not damage her eyes”.  The following day we made the return trip back to Salisbury only to find that the spots had almost gone on arrival and I had a mild dose of german measles!  We then discovered that Max, one of Chris Annersley’s friends and also a racing driver, had contracted the very same infection the day before me and he must have passed it on to me. Nevertheless, it had spoiled the holiday for everyone and it was out of the question to drive all the way back for the remaining days.

At the end of 1955, a couple who had heard about our caravan made my Dad an interesting offer!   They wanted to retire, and their plan was to travel around South Africa towing a caravan, stopping when and how they wanted. They owned two houses on the opposite side of Salisbury, one which they lived in and the other was split into three flats, which were rented out.  There was enough property to build stables and have a paddock, so my dream of having my own pony was in sight at last!   They wanted to sell their property to us and buy the caravan.  The end result was that we put our 'new' home up for sale and we moved yet again, to  Greencroft Road in Mabelreign, a large suburb out on the Lomagundi road, on the north side of Salisbury.  This meant new zoning for schools, so I made yet another change to Avondale Junior School.  Three schools in Rhodesia and three in England by the time I was eleven, took a bit of keeping up with!

Putting a bay window on to what was to be my bedroom in the new house.

David showing off his 'new' (secondhand) Norton motorbike.

Salisbury Swimming pool where we spent quite a lot of time during my teen years.  I wonder if the pool is still there as Harare Swimming pool; I doubt it!!

My Life Before Charente to be continued :-) 

 

The section of my life story during our overland trip is published on Kindle if you should be interested:-

 

See HERE

My Brother David, the Dancer and a Big Mouth!

1946 and my first two wheeler.  Mum and Dad had gone to Switzerland on holiday and brought me back this bike with training wheels. It looks as if the latter did not last long, as there is no sign of them in this photo!

My Mum in 1946 at the St Bernard Pass, during which time they bought my bike

David, my half-brother, was seven years older than me, and perhaps because of the age difference, we got on very well together. I never remember a bad word between us and he was always there for me when I needed him.  He was the greatest brother any girl would ever want to have and I have wonderful memories of times together when I was small.

A story that stands out clearly in my mind is from a day when Mum and I had returned home from Fiveways garage one chilly winter day, to find the house covered in damp and soggy towels.  David luckily had been at home and had noticed Tony and Bridget's litter of six St Bernard pups playing down the garden.  They had discovered what fun it was to try sliding over the fish pool, only to find the ice was not strong enough to hold all of them!  David was chilled to the bone, but he had managed to wade in and recover all six of them and get them up to the house.  He wrapped each cold and wriggling puppy up in a towel and lit the fire.  The next day they were none the worse for their experience and a few weeks later, all left to go to their new homes.

Bridget, the mother of the pups. Photo taken with me in 1948.

The  two photos of this litter with  Mum and myself were taken in 1951; quite possibly these are the pups that tried swimming!

When I was three, I started tap dancing lessons. I have memories one Christmas of being on stage at the dancing school and being in a Christmas cracker.  When the cracker was pulled, I jumped out and danced a solo.  Apart from being one of the three witches in Macbeth during my time at senior school with the lines “Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble”, that was as far as my stage career ever went.  

Now you have to agree I look quite cute:-)

I am not quite sure  how old I was at the time, but another story that I was never allowed to forget, even long after I was  married, was the day I got on the a bus with my mother and I looked up and said in a very clear voice “Oh look Mummy, hasn’t that lady got a funny face”!!  I recall that my mum, with a very red face, told me to be quiet and sat with me as far away as possible, but a lady behind her tapped her on the shoulder and said “Really, the child is quite correct my dear”.   My poor Mum must have been so embarrassed, but as they say ‘out of the mouth of babes’.  She did admit to me in later years that the woman looked very like a Pekingese.  

I suspect my mother had a tough time with me and my big mouth, as  I was reminded a number of times over the years of the day that relations arrived with their two small children.  The children had been brought up being allowed to do what they liked and were never told off.  On this particular day, they decided upon arrival that it would be great fun to jump up and down on the settee in our lounge.  The only person there who was willing to tell them off was myself, and I told them in no uncertain terms, that feet were not allowed on the furniture!  

 The relations gathered up their children and left in a big huff; it was many years before they spoke to my parents again.  My mother did receive a phone call from another member of the family saying that her sister had phoned and told her the story of the children.  I gather everyone was delighted that the children had been put in their place for once.  I may have caused a family upheaval but it seems that I did in fact say the right thing! I have to admit here that I never met up with the children again, until about 6 years ago.  Nothing was ever mentioned and hopefully they have not remembered the occasion!

David and I used to have a lot of fun together and on one occasion my Mum came looking for us, as we appeared to be particularly quiet.  To this day, I have never discovered how we kept our playful sounds down, but when Mum discovered us in the lounge, she walked into a room full of floating white feathers!  We had discovered the fun of having a pillow fight with feathered pillows; my only comment was “Look Mum, it is snowing”.  We were very unpopular on this occasion and in lots of trouble, but David pushed me behind his back and took the blame for it all.

I have very few photos of a young David; the photos of myself in the blog are not precisely in date order, so please forgive for that!